From Villain to Virtual Sweetheart: The Fake Heir's Grand Scheme(BL)
Chapter 164: The Great Gaming Scheme of SilverBlade Captain

Chapter 164: The Great Gaming Scheme of SilverBlade Captain

Micah began walking toward the campus gate, his bag slung lazily over one shoulder. Russell and Archie followed beside him, their footsteps falling into rhythm with his.

"But seriously," Russell began, his voice uncertain. "Is it really okay to leave the gossip alone?"

Micah didn’t answer right away. He kept walking, wanting to get to the gate faster and put some distance between himself and Archie.

Russell glanced sideways at him, chewing on the inside of his cheek before adding, "What if it ends up like your friend’s gossip? You know, the one that followed him from high school to university? What if this follows you too?"

Micah’s pace slowed a little. Just slightly. But enough for the other two to notice.

Archie shoved his hands into his pockets and tilted his head. "I can help you if you want."

Micah glanced at him, his expression somewhere between sceptical and amused. "Oh? How?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

Would it be like in the novel? Spreading gossip behind his back, then swooping in to offer emotional comfort like some tragic love interest?

Ugh! Micah gagged inwardly.

"The best way to kill a rumour is to replace it," Archie said matter-of-factly. "You could confess to a girl. Or pretend someone confessed to you. You can win something, maybe a prize, a tournament, anything really. Even something in fashion, your own field. If people start talking about that, they’ll forget all about this mysterious boyfriend thing. Over time, your name will be tied to the new thing instead."

Micah blinked. The mocking smirk that had been playing on his lips slowly faded. He tilted his head, looking at Archie with a more thoughtful expression.

What Archie said made sense. At first, he thought he would spit nonsense. But what he suggested was not bad.

"That’s a good idea!" Russell chimed in. "We’ve got that game tournament coming up, right? The inter-university one this Friday!"

Then he paused, frowning as a new thought popped into his head. "Wait! Your mother is a professor here, right? What if she, you know... pulled some strings for you? Maybe organised something to boost your image?"

Micah immediately shook his head. "No. I don’t like people to know my mother is a professor here. And please don’t tell anyone else."

"Is that the same reason you won’t clear up the identity of that man? The one from the takoyaki stall?" Archie asked pointedly.

Micah’s jaw clenched slightly. He glared at Archie. "No," he said flatly. "Why are you so obsessed with him? He is just a family friend. And he is helping me with my stomach problem. That’s all."

His voice came out sharper than intended.

"What stomach problem?" Russell asked. "Is that why Darcy dragged you out of my room that day? You were eating chips..." his voice trailed off as the realisation began to sink in.

Micah sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "Yeah. I was sent to the hospital twice already. This past weekend, I had an acupuncture session. I also went to see a traditional expert. He arranged all of that."

He huffed, rubbing the back of his neck. "I didn’t think showing up with him would cause such a fuss on the campus forum."

Russell’s face softened with concern. He stepped a little closer and patted Micah’s shoulder gently. "Man, stress is the worst. If the gossip is making it worse, that’s seriously messed up."

Archie’s eyes narrowed slightly. He connected the dots and understood what had happened. Maybe he had been overthinking it. Micah wasn’t in that kind of relationship yet. But why the dodgy eyes when they asked about the man? It was weird. Suspicious even.

Archie’s expression turned thoughtful. Even so, he saw an opportunity. There were plenty of ways to get close to Micah.

"For your health," Archie said calmly, "you should shut down the gossip sooner than later. I still think the gaming route is your best bet. Even if you’re not good at it, just being seen with a famous team will change the conversation. People will focus on how you get on the team, not the rumour."

What he didn’t say aloud was this: if people thought Micah was seeing someone in that team, like him for example, they would all forget about that mysterious blond guy.

Micah paused, thinking. He needed to know more about the SilverBlade Legion members. He needed to get a handle on Archie, the second male lead. Even if Darcy was not interested in Archie now. Two years down the line? Who knew?

Micah didn’t want to use Russell in his plan. The best way was catfishing. Just Archie’s reputation would be in jeopardy. Not other innocent people. He needed to get into their online circle and make people think he was Archie’s girlfriend. Then use that as leverage, blackmailing him if Archie caused any problem in the future. He would have something to keep him in check.

"Okay. I think about it." Micah nodded.

"Cool. Add me on WeChat or something. When I’m online we can play a few matches, and I’ll check your level." Archie said.

Micah’s eyes twitched slightly. His guard shot up like a wall. Wechat? Gaming ID?

No, no, they would find out he was friends with DarkVyne. And Darcy would be dragged in. He couldn’t risk it.

Ah! What a dilemma! What should he do? Making another account? But he had to play from scratch again. And he had only just gotten his SugerPlumFairy account to Silver with his hard work! Another one would be a pain in the ass!

"You know who I am, right?" Archie asked, smirking a little. "Captain of a famous Esports team. I can certainly train you to have decent skills for Friday."

"Yeah. My brother and his team won all kinds of competitions. They are aiming for top five nationally this year." Russell said quickly.

Micah’s lips twitched. It wasn’t about doubting Archie’s ability. It was about protecting Darcy! Ah!

Archie noticed Micah’s hesitation. "I didn’t want to bring it up..." he paused, leaning slightly closer and lowering his voice. "But I already know your gaming account."

Micah jolted like he was electrified. "Huh?!"

What did he know? How? What did he mean? Which one? SugerPlumFairy? Or FrostbiteAshe?!

Archie looked amused now. He thought Micah’s panic was because of his trashy reputation in the LOJ game. He turned toward Russell. "Hey kid, go bring the pamphlets from the gaming club."

Russell glanced curiously between the two before nodding. "Okay," he said and jogged toward the gate.

When Russell was out of earshot, Archie spoke again. "We played against each other, remember? You were playing support. You blew up my teammate’s cover during that jungle ambush. We lost the whole match because of that."

Micah swallowed hard. "Oh... that match... wait, who were you?"

Micah was sure there was never a ShadowBishop account in any match he played.

"I didn’t use my account that time. I borrowed my vice captain’s. You know, DiabolicDestroyers, our top laner?"

Micah felt cold sweat forming at the back of his neck. Crap! So they had played Archie that time? No wonder Darcy struggled...

Micah had not logged into FrostbiteAshe since then.

How did he know he was him? Since when? Where? Was his identity in LOJ exposed?

What if he asked about DarkVyne? Should he deny it? Saying he didn’t know what he was talking about?! Bluffing his way out? But what if he had a solid proof?

Micah’s mind buzzed, totally shutting down.

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